UW News


September 19, 2024

Over 8 years, UW Population Health Initiative has turned ideas into impact

In a time-lapse image, a bus passes in front of a large building with a reflective glass exterior.

In just eight years, the UW Population Health Initiative has funded 227 innovative, interdisciplinary projects. With the Initiative now a third of the way into its 25-year vision, UW News checked in with three projects that recently received funding to scale their efforts. 


August 13, 2024

Q&A: Using marijuana can worsen outcomes for young adults with psychosis – how can mental health professionals help them stop?

A cropped shot of a person holding a marijuana plant.

Young adults with psychosis tend to use cannabis at extremely high rates, and their symptoms can be exacerbated by long-term marijuana use. A team of University of Washington researchers is focused on this particular group. 


July 25, 2024

Q&A: Nail salon air is filled with fragrance chemicals — could they harm workers’ health?

A nail salon worker, left, gives a manicure to a client wearing a fluffy robe. Bottles of nail products are in the background.

A study led by UW researcher Diana Ceballos is most comprehensive study to date of the specific fragrance chemical mixtures found in nail salon air, and will allow researchers to further study the potential health risks.  


July 1, 2024

Q&A: How the H5N1 bird flu outbreak could become humanity’s problem

Hundreds of small, white chickens stand on the floor of a large barn.

A major outbreak of a new strain of bird flu — formally named Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 — has killed millions of wild birds and infected poultry, dairy cattle, domestic cats and a small number of humans. UW experts explain how bird flu evolves and what it could mean for humans.


May 9, 2024

Navy Growler jet noise over Whidbey Island could impact 74,000 people’s health

Two men facing away from the camera watch a blurred jet land on an airstrip. The men are both wearing over-ear headphones.

As often as four days a week, Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly loops overhead as pilots practice touch-and-go landings. The noise is immense. New research from the University of Washington shows that the noise isn’t just disruptive — it presents a substantial risk to public health.


April 3, 2024

Q&A: UW researchers on the unseen community effects of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders

In the foreground, purple block letters "UW." In the background, a young student works at a laptop on a kitchen table.

Starting in the earliest days of the 2020 outbreak, a team of researchers at the University of Washington conducted real-time surveys of King County residents, asking what measures people had taken to protect themselves, how their daily lives had been affected and what worried them most.  


March 13, 2024

Q&A: UW expert on the rising rates of immunosuppression among U.S. adults

A woman with long dark hair adjusting a white face mask.

A new UW study places the prevalence of immunosuppression at around 6.6% of American adults — more than twice as high as previously understood. That rise could have broad implications for how we navigate the late stages of COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics.  


February 28, 2024

Vision Zero road safety projects in Seattle are unlikely to have negative impacts on local business sales, UW study finds

Two bicycle lanes painted on a strip of asphalt, with painted bicycle icons marking each lane.

An analysis of seven safety projects across Seattle found they had no negative impact on the annual revenues of nearby businesses for three years after construction began.


January 22, 2024

Q&A: UW expert on the rise and risks of artificial sweeteners

Eight white sugar cubes set against a black background.

The rise of artificial sweeteners has made it easier for conscious consumers to reduce their sugar intake, but these products may present their own health risks.


January 16, 2024

UW research helps California forest managers assess smoke hazards from prescribed burns

Forest on fire with smoke billowing, as seen from a helicopter

An international team led by researchers at the University of Washington built a framework to help land managers assess the air quality implications of land management scenarios with different levels of prescribed burning.


November 28, 2023

UW research finds that mailing HPV test kits directly to patients increases cervical cancer screening rates

Currently, more than half of all cervical cancers diagnosed in the United States are in people who are overdue for screening or have never been screened. In a new study, researchers report that mailing HPV test kits significantly increased cervical cancer screening rates.


November 27, 2023

Breathing highway air increases blood pressure, UW research finds 

A new study from the UW found that unfiltered air from rush-hour traffic significantly increased passengers’ blood pressure, both while in the car and up to 24 hours later. 


October 17, 2023

CDC funds UW to take first steps toward regional public health emergency preparedness center

The UW will convene partners across Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon to develop a workplan to establish a future regional Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.


September 7, 2023

UW assessment finds fentanyl and methamphetamine smoke linger on public transit vehicles

Two years ago, as life regained its rhythm and public transit once again filled with people, train and bus operators spotted a troubling trend. Some operators reported instances of people smoking drugs on their vehicles, and worried that the haze it created could linger, potentially affecting workers’ physical and mental health.  Spurred by operators’ concerns,…


September 5, 2023

UW, Stanford launch resource to help health care professionals respond to climate concerns 

The case studies in Medicine for a Changing Planet, collated from clinical encounters around the world, support health professionals in recognizing and treating a variety of health-related conditions that can be traced to environmental stressors.


August 28, 2023

UW research links wildfire smoke to increased risk of emergency room visits for people of all ages

Taken together, the two papers’ findings suggest that wildfire smoke poses a risk to people of all ages, not just young children and older adults.


July 18, 2023

Q&A: UW pharmacy professor Donald Downing on the over-the-counter birth control pill

On July 13, the Food and Drug Administration approved for the first time an over-the-counter birth control pill, expected to hit shelves in early 2024. The approval of the oral contraceptive Opill could drastically expand access to birth control, which for decades has been available only through a prescription. It’s a rare victory for reproductive…


Eight UW professors elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

The Academy said members are elected “in recognition of their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.” 


July 10, 2023

UW-developed dental lozenge could provide permanent treatment for tooth sensitivity 

The solution builds new mineral microlayers that penetrate deep into the tooth to create effective, long-lasting natural protection. It could provide easily accessible relief for the millions of adults worldwide who suffer from tooth sensitivity. 


July 5, 2023

Research led by UW undergrad shows ultrafine air pollution reflects Seattle’s redlining history

The most comprehensive study yet of long-term ultrafine particle exposure found that concentrations of this tiny pollutant reflect the city’s decades-old racial and economic divides.  


June 26, 2023

New report, tool suggest how Washington can better protect against extreme heat

report cover with silhouettes on skyline

Two years after the Pacific Northwest heat dome — the deadliest weather-related disaster in state history — a collaborative effort has drawn up recommendations for how people and groups across the state could prevent future heat-related illness and save lives. The effort involves a report led by the UW Climate Impacts Group and an interactive risk-mapping tool led by the UW Center for Health and the Global Environment,


May 16, 2023

School of Dentistry researchers to expand upon study into how and why our gums swell

Researchers collect a sample of oral bacteria from a study subject. Photo credit: Dr. Shatha Bamashmous.

Gingivitis research could also deepen our understanding of inflammation in the rest of the body, which can be difficult to study in real time.  


May 1, 2023

Prolonged power outages, often caused by weather events, hit some parts of the U.S. harder than others

New research found that Americans already bearing the brunt of climate change and health inequities are most at risk of impact by a lengthy power outage.


April 6, 2023

Washington state’s 2021 heat wave contributed to 159 excess injury deaths over three weeks

A record-breaking heat wave that baked Washington state in 2021 contributed to 159 excess injury deaths, according to research led by a UW professor.


Community-based prevention system linked to reduced handgun carrying among youth growing up in rural areas

A community-based, evidence-based intervention system developed at the University of Washington has been linked to reduced handgun carrying rates among youth growing up in rural areas.